


push pull

by maesilju



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 00:34:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6099037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maesilju/pseuds/maesilju
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lev and Kenma don't get off to a smooth start at first. But then they work it out. </p><p> </p><p>Lev stands out amongst the first-years, not least because of his height. Lev is too tall, too loud, too clumsy -- too much of everything, and it's Kenma's first instinct to avoid him. It's nothing personal; he barely knows anything about Lev, apart from his name, height and passion to play volleyball, but Kenma already knows dealing with Lev is going to be tiresome. He prepares to slip away, but then Lev looks straight at him, green eyes widening, and as Kenma tenses, Lev breaks into a wide grin, and holds out his hand. "Nice to meet you, too!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	push pull

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tothemoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tothemoon/gifts).



> The title of this fic is taken from the song Push Pull by [ Purity Ring.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiV0RN0mPSk)

"I'm Haiba Lev, and I look forward to working with you!"

 

Lev stands out amongst the first-years, not least because of his height. Lev is too tall, too loud, too clumsy -- too much of everything, and it's Kenma's first instinct to avoid him. It's nothing personal; he barely knows anything about Lev, apart from his name, height and passion to play volleyball, but Kenma already knows dealing with Lev is going to be tiresome. He prepares to slip away, but then Lev looks straight at him, green eyes widening, and as Kenma tenses, Lev breaks into a wide grin, and holds out his hand. "Nice to meet you, too!"

 

Kenma freezes, poised for flight. _Maybe it's a fluke._ No one notices him, usually; Kenma's practiced at blending into the woodwork, and so far none of the first years - or, for that matter, any of his teammates - have noticed he's around. It's not quite invisibility; Kuroo can usually spot him if he looks for Kenma hard enough, but it allows Kenma to fade into the background and escape attention, which suits him just fine.

 

Lev's hand remains outstretched, and as Kenma stares, pink carnations blossom across his skin, unfurling down the length of his forearm in full bloom, framed by dark green leaves.

 

Kenma can feel the weight of other gazes now, as the rest of the first-years catch on to Lev's odd behaviour. He catches Inuoka's confused look, can read the question in his eyes, _why is Lev is speaking to empty air?_ He shifts on the spot, uneasy, wanting to turn and run. Kuroo gives him a faintly reproving look form the other end of the court, and Kenma sighs. So much for thinking he was going to escape practice; Kuroo's cottoned on, and that means like it or not, he's going to be roped into team activities now. Kenma swallows, and reaches out to clasp Lev's proffered hand.

 

"Kozume Kenma, second-year," he mumbles, if only to be polite, and there's a gasp that goes up from the first years as they finally catch sight of Kenma.

 

Kenma fears for a moment that his hand will be crushed; Lev is even bigger this close, but his anxiety proves groundless; Lev's hand is gentle as he returns the gesture. There's a _shift_ , and the carnations become a riot of colours, blooming wild down the back of Lev's hands and over onto his palms. His magic tingles as it comes into contact with Kenma's skin, and Kenma jerks back, letting go. He can feel it still; faint echoes of the real thing, warm and friendly, and he rubs his palm against the fabric of his volleyball shorts, his heart hammering. It's unexpected, and he can see an apology forming on Lev's lips, the carnations shrinking in on themselves as his arms fall by his sides.

 

"Lev!" Kuroo's voice has gone sharp in a way that signals trouble for the first-year, and Kenma seizes advantage of the confusion to slip away unnoticed.

 

 _This is Not Good_ , Kenma muses later, curled up in a corner of the library over a game of Love Live. Working with Lev is going to be troublesome, especially since he can't hide from the first-year as easily as he can avoid the others.

 

* * *

 

 

Kenma's predictions turn out to be spot-on. For once, he wishes that they weren't true. Foretelling the future isn't his speciality; that's Kai's, although their vice-captain's abilities are limited to telling what the weather's going to be like. Kuroo regularly jokes that Kai should set up shop and put the meteorologists out of business, but Kai's got his heart set on pharmaceutical sciences instead.

 

Practices are even more draining than before. Coach has got him working with the first-years to improve their spiking form, and being on the receiving end of both Inuoka's and Lev's boundless enthusiasm isn't Kenma's cup of tea, especially when neither of his teammates can hit his tosses.

 

Kenma eyes his bag longingly; it's piled on the stage along with the others, next to Kuroo's, a reminder of his unfinished game. Kenma's 3DS is tucked neatly into the side pocket, waiting for him. He's so close to levelling up in FE: Fates; if only he could slip away right now -

 

"Another toss, please!" Inuoka bounds up, sweat making his shirt cling to his back.

 

"Me too, me too!" Lev shouts, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. The carnations from the other day are gone; in their place, clusters of small purple-blue flowers wind down his arms and legs. "I'm gonna be the ace, just you wait!"

 

"No, _I'm_ going to be the ace!" Inuoka argues, mouth turning down in a scowl.

 

Kenma really doesn't understand how the both of them can find the energy to be so loud. He suppresses a sigh; across the court, Yaku shoots him a sympathetic look from where he's practicing receives with Kuroo and Kai.

 

"I AM THE ACE!" Tora roars, popping up behind both of them and bringing his fists crashing down on their heads.

 

Inuoka and Lev immediately subside into pained silence, clutching at their heads.

 

"Sorry they're bothering you so much, Kenma." Tora claps his shoulder, and Kenma's knees almost buckle at the force. Tora doesn't know his own strength, which is a problem when it comes to casual interactions with his teammates.

 

"It's fine," Kenma wheezes, making a note to escape from training as soon as possible. Tora's hair, he notices, is bright crimson today; most likely from the first-years' unintentional provocation. Tora's magic, lke his character, is straightforward - his hair changes with his moods. It's all reds and oranges when Tora's fired up, gold when he's trying to impress someone, purple when Tora's smitten, and somber blue when he's been rejected, as is usually the case when Tora has feelings for someone. It's a popular activity amongst the team members (namely, Kuroo, Yaku and Lev) to try and make Tora's hair turn green - so far, they've never seen that particular shade on him. Kenma shudders; he doesn't exactly want to know.

 

Lev straightens, eyes intent on Kenma. "One more time, please," he says, stepping back in anticipation of the toss. The blue of the flowers winding across his limbs has become deeper, more intense, and Kenma has to wonder at what they could possibly mean.

 

"All right," Kenma relents, reaching for another ball. "Just this once."

 

* * *

 

 

In the school courtyard, Kenma slumps down under the shade of a tree, its bark rough against his back. There's a rustle of leaves, along with a pitiful, drawn-out meow, but he's too tired to mind; being Nekoma's only setter is taking its toll. In between practicing combos with the first-years, he's often pulled into practice scrimmages, and if this continues, Kenma's fairly sure his arms will fall off well before competition season even rolls around. Dodging practice is next to impossible. Lev's gotten into the habit of pestering him for tosses whenever Yaku doesn't have him practicing flying falls and receives, and Kenma's finding it increasingly difficult to say no. Even Kuroo's never managed to get as many tosses out from him, but in Kenma's defence, Lev just doesn't know how to quit.

 

"Kenma-san!!"

 

The voice is excitable and all too familiar; it's one he's come to associate with endless practices and _please, one more time_.

 

Kenma closes his eyes and concentrates very hard on becoming as inconspicuous as possible. Maybe if he tries hard enough, he'll actually succeed in diverting Lev's attention, and his moment of peace will carry on uninterrupted.

 

"Kenma-san!"

 

By the sound of it, Lev is right in front of him now. Kenma sighs, and opens his eyes. Lev's legs loom in front of him, and he tips his head back to catch his eyes. Today's flowers are familiar; yellow, with broad, rounded petals and wine-dark blotches in the centre. He's seen them before. His mother keeps a pot of pansies on the kitchen windowsill, only theirs are pink and purple.

 

"Lev."

 

Lev crouches down besides him, brows creased in a worried frown. "Kenma-san, there's a cat stuck up this tree!"

 

_Ah. That would explain the meowing._

 

As if to emphasise Lev's point, there's another agitated rustle, and a renewed bout of distressed meows. Kenma eyes the branches above him with trepidation; it's a tall tree, towering over the courtyard, although he supposes with Lev's height it wouldn't be a stretch to launch a rescue mission.

 

"Too bad Kuro's stuck in supplementary class," Kenma sighs. It figures; there'd be a cat-related emergency when their resident cat-whisperer _wasn't_ around.

 

"Hah?" Lev stares at him, uncomprehending.

 

"Kuro can talk to cats," Kenma explains, and he watches as Lev's eyes grow wide.

 

" _Wow_ ," Lev breathes, sounding awed. "That's so cool! I wish I could do that. I thought - well, that his magic was getting his hair to stay that way!"

 

Kenma doesn't laugh, but it's a near thing. It's a very _Lev_ sort of answer, he thinks; blunt to the point of being painfully honest, and if Kenma is absolutely frank - not very bright, either.

 

"You're lucky Kuro isn't here to hear you say that," Kenma murmurs. "How do we get the cat out, though?" He peers up into the foliage above his head. The cat is clinging to a branch, ears flattened to its head, eyes narrowed to slits. Kenma recognises it; it's the fat calico that the school cook favours, and according to Kuroo, also the worst gossip ever.

 

"I know!" Lev exclaims. "I'm not tall enough to reach it, but if you get on my shoulders, we should be able to rescue it!"

 

"Absolutely not," Kenma says; the cat is as furious as it's afraid, and he's not going anywhere near it.

 

"Kenma-san! We can't just leave it like that! Oh! Are you afraid of heights? I promise, I won't let go of you!"

 

Lev is partially right on this one; Kenma's not afraid of heights, but he _is_ concerned Lev might drop him.

 

"Kuro will be mad if we get injured before the practice match against Shinzen," Kenma says; surely it's better to leave the cat alone. Someone else will get it down. Probably.

 

The cat lets out another forlorn wail at the mention of Kuroo's name, and Kenma glares at it.

 

"Fine," he groans, "but make it quick. And _don't_ drop me."

 

"Yes! I believe in you, Kenma-san!"

 

Lev crouches with his back to Kenma. Pink roses bloom where Kenma's fingers brush against Lev's skin, crowding out the pansies and growing thick and wild over the nape of his neck and down his arms, which are braced over Kenma's thighs, keeping him - as Lev promised - firmly in place. It's the first time they're touching ever since that handshake at the beginning of the year, and Lev's magic is just as Kenma remembers, sparking warm against his skin. Kenma blushes - it feels oddly intimate, to be in such close contact with someone else's magic, even if it's just to rescue a cat, of all things, and he's suddenly grateful that Lev can't see his face.

 

"Come on," Kenma grits through his teeth. Lev stands to his full height, trembling with the effort of keeping them both steady. Perched atop Lev's shoulders, Kenma can just barely reach the cat. It lets out an alarmed yowl at the sight of him, and edges further away from Kenma.

 

"Stupid cat," Kenma mutters. "Lev, hold tight!" He leans out, and this time, he can feel the strain as Lev struggles to counter the pull of gravity.

 

"Meow," Kenma tries, "Meow, come on, you stupid fat cat, we're trying to _help_ \- " Just a little further - if he can lean out just a little further, he might be able to grab it by the scruff - which is when the cat changes its mind, and leaps right at him instead.

 

It happens too fast. Kenma squeezes his eyes shut instinctively, flinging his arms up to ward off the cat. Claws dig into the meat of his arms, and then he's falling, Lev's alarmed yell ringing in his ears. They hit the grass in a tangle of arms and legs, boys and cat alike, Kenma letting out a pained _oof_ as he rolls to a stop.

 

Everything hurts; his knees from having fallen on them, and his arms from being clawed to ribbons by the damn cat. Kenma sits up with a groan.

 

"Kenma-san! Are you all right?" Lev pops up next to him, eyes wide and concerned. The pansies are out in full force again, no trace of the pink roses to be found. Yellow covers almost every inch of Lev's arms as they reach out to help him up.

 

"No," Kenma scowls at him, "Do I look fine to you, Lev?"

 

"Uh, no. I'm sorry, Kenma-san! I promised I wouldn't let you go, but then you jerked back and - "

 

"I didn't. The cat jumped at me," Kenma says sourly. "Speaking of which, where is it?"

 

They look around, but the cat's gone; it must've fled when they fell. Good for it, Kenma supposes.

 

"At least we got it down," Lev says, looking down at his scraped elbows sorrowfully.

 

"Yes, we did." Kenma sighs. They're both going to need a trip to the school nurse to get patched up, and Lev is going to have a lot of explaining to do later.

 

* * *

 

 

Lev is part of the starting line-up against Shinzen. He's excited, even though it's only a practice match, and it shows; a riot of red poppies paints his skin crimson and black by turns.

 

"I'm gonna ace this match," he tells Yaku during warm-up drills, only to get a kick aimed at him.

 

"Work on your receives, idiot," Yaku huffs, and Tora snickers. Lev bounces over to Kenma, undaunted.

 

"You'll toss to me, right, Kenma-san?"

 

For all the practice they've done, Lev still _can't_ hit any of Kenma's tosses. Kenma's long since considered giving up; it's only because of Lev's persistence (and Coach's orders) that he's carried on for so long.

 

"Yes," he says, if only because it won't do to have a sulky Lev as part of their line-up. Besides, the entire point of a practice match is to experiment, and he expects that Coach will want them to do just that.

 

Shinzen spends the first set directing their offense at Lev - the weakest point in Nekoma's defence. Lev is growing steadily more restless - the poppies have faded, replaced by small yellow flowers that tangle up and down his limbs. They're primroses; Kenma only knows because he's spent the previous night poring over _hanakotoba_ \- who knew flowers had so many meanings? and desperation isn't really a good sign. Lev hasn't scored a single point, and the furrow between his brows has only gotten deeper with every failed receive.

 

There's only one thing that could possibly perk Lev up, and even then, that's a gamble - the odds are stacked against them, and if Lev bungles Kenma's toss - which he probably will - he'll likely lose the will to play.

 

Kenma beckons to Lev during a lull in the game. Lev drags his feet as he walks over, the smile gone from his face. Yellow turns to red; darker than the poppies, the flowers more slender and spindly in comparison. _Red spider lilies_ , Kenma thinks, and right on the heels of that thought comes another. _H_ _e's afraid I'm going to tell him to sit out for the rest of the game._

 

Lev bends down, eyes downcast, and Kenma leans in. "I'll toss to you," he says, "Just like we practiced."

 

"But I can't spike - "

 

"One more time, please," Kenma tosses Lev's words back at him. "Remember what you said during practice? So what if you can't? Even if a game doesn't seem clearable at first, after playing it over and over again, you can conquer it."

 

"Kenma-san!" Lev's mouth hangs open, and his eyes go comically wide, as if he can't believe it's Kenma who's encouraging him. He hasn't been the kindest to Lev, Kenma thinks, chagrined. It's not that Kenma means to be impatient - it's just that Lev never seems to get tired or have any tact, and it occasionally grates on Kenma's nerves.

 

"You're going to be the ace, right? Then show them."

 

Shinzen's spike slams into Lev's forearms, and the ball goes up into the air, spinning wildly. Yaku gets the receive, and it arcs into Kenma's hands. Kenma glances up; Lev is within range, now, so he goes for the toss, nice and high, cutting an arc in the air to connect snugly with Lev's palm as his arm whips out and forward, driving the ball past their opponents' block. Shinzen's libero dives, frantic, but it's too late. The ball slams into hardwood just shy of the end-court lines, and rolls to a stop.

 

The scoreboard clicks. 16-15, in Nekoma's favour, and Lev's first point in a practice match.

 

Lev whoops.

 

"Kenma-san, we did it!" He races towards Kenma, arms outstretched for a high-five, and Kenma meets him halfway, palm to palm.

 

Kenma's skin tingles; not just from the impact of their high-five, but also from Lev's magic. When they pull away, Lev's arms are a riot of colour, yellow and white poppies intermingling with pink roses and carnations, all vying to outbloom each other. Kenma doesn't need to be familiar with the meanings of the flowers to know how Lev is feeling, not when it's written on his face, as clear as day.

 

Lev grins at him, wide and giddy, green eyes alight, and Kenma smiles back.

 

"One more time," he says, and Lev nods.

 

"Let's do this."

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Here are the flowers and their meanings in the order that they appear in this fic, based on information from [ Wikipedia.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanakotoba)
> 
> Carnations: Fascination/distinction/ love 
> 
> Hydrangea: Pride
> 
> Pansies: Thoughtful/ caring/ concern
> 
> Pink roses: Trust/ happiness/ confidence
> 
> Poppies: Fun-loving 
> 
> Primroses: Desperation
> 
> Red spider lilies: Never to meet again/ lost memories/ abandonment
> 
> Yellow poppies: Success
> 
> White poppies: Rejoicing


End file.
